Manufacture of soft surface cured cheese



June 9, 1953 J. H. KRAFT 2,641,545

MANUFACTURE OF SOFT SURFACE CURED CHEESE Filed April 11, 19.51

Patented June 9, 1953 John H.v Kraft, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Kraft Foods Company, Chicago, Ill., a. corporationV of Delaware Application April 1`1, 1951,l Serial N0. 220,489

6 Claims.

This invention relates in. general to the manufacture of soft, surface cured, mold ripened cheeses such as for example, Camembert, Brie, and the like and in'particular, to the provision of a soft, surface cured cheese whose mold pad may be readily removed.

Soft, surface cured, mold ripened cheeses, such as Camembert, when well cured, usually comprise a soft interior portion which may be liquid or semi-liquid and which is encased in a mold pad. A few consumers eat both the mold pad' and the so-ft interior portion but many prefer to eat only the soft portion ofthe cheese. Since the mold pad is usually deformable orplastic and the interior of the cheese is quite fluid, it is quite difficult to cut the pad away from the soft portion of the cheese. In cutting away the pad, portions of the cheese usually oozes out around the pad and adheres to the. knife and to the pad'. This is naturally of considerable ari--v noyance to the consumer, aswell as an ultimate Waste of edible cheese.

The separation of the soft interior of' surface cured cheese from the exterior pad of such cheese is even more important in the manufacture of pasteurized process cheese. In such manufacture the producer must first remove the pad and place the liquid or semi-liquid' interior portion into cooking kettles or pasteurizers. Heretofore, there has not been any satisfactory means of removing the pad from such cheeses. except by a time consuming manual separation and even this procedure results in considerable waste. Consequently, the cost of the resultingv process cheese is quite high.

Accordingly, the principalA object of this invention is the provision of means whereby the mold pad of soft, surface cured, mold ripened cheeses can be readily separated from. the soft'. interior of' the cheese. A further object. is to provide an improved process of manufacturing` soft, surface cured, mold ripened cheese such that the mold pad of the cheese can be quickly and easily removed from the, rest ofthe cheese body. Other objects and advantages ofthe invention will be made apparent in the following description and in the accompanying drawings showing one preferred embodimentof the` invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 isa plan view of a loosely woven fabric member adapted for use in the manufactureof: soft, surface cured, cheese;

Figure 2 is a perspective view'partlyinseetion,

of a. wedge shaped piece of Camembert cheese'.

showing the-manner in which the mold pad may bev removed from cheese made in accordance with' this invention; v

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective View showing a cheese hoop filled with curd and having a piece of fabric placed in position on the surface `of the curd; and

Figure 4 is a plan viewof a loosely woven fabricl memberv particularly adapted* fory use in the' manufacture of soft, surface cured, mold ripened cheese which is later to be utilized inthe manufacture of processed' cheese.

Although the present invention is applicable to all types of soft, surface cured, mold ripened. cheeses, for convenience the following discussion will be confined to the use of the invention in the manufacture of Camembert cheese, which is one species of soft,y surface cured, mold ripened cheese.

A typical Camembert process may include the following steps:

1. Cows' milk which may not or may be pasteurized (usually containing about 3,1 percent fat) isplaced-inY a vatv antil warmed to 78-8'71 F.

2. A culture of Streptococcus` Zactzs is added to the milk to" develop the acidity required in the rnanuf'actlne of the cheese.

3. Renn-et is then addedv to the milk (8-10 cc. of rennet to each lbs. of milk)` and the mix.-

ture is then permitted to stand for a period of.

from 1.5 to 2 hours to firm the curd.

4. The firmed curd is then cut.

5. The cutcurd is dipped into hoops (generally'about 4' inches in diameter and about 5 inches high) which are set on porous mats'. The curd in the hoop is permitted to drain for from about 2 to 2.5 hours. After that period the hoop is turned over and the curd is permitted to drain for an additional 2' to 2.5 hours.

6; The curd, Which by that time has been consolidated into a more orlessv coherent body isi When :making cheese which. is to he sold. in`

liquid or semi-liquid central portion of the piece cheese.

I have discovered that the mold'pad may` be readily removed from Camembert cheese if a strip y of porous fabric is disposedbetween thesoft body of the cheese and the mold padi The fabriccan then be pulled from the cheese, carrying with it all of the mold pad.

In practicing the presentinvention, the Camembert process as outlined above, may be fol. lowed up to the point where the curd is dipped into the hoop and is'consolidated into a body. n At this point one or more of the surfaces of the curd body Vwhich has been initially consolidated but which has preferably not been completely drained of whey is covered with a layer of porous, loosely woven fabric. This fabric is then pressed into the surface of the cheeseV so that it becomes thoroughly wetted with whey. The draining of the curd body is then completedand lthe surface of the body of curd is inoculated and salted in the usual manner, these operations being carried out Without disturbing the fabric which is embedded in the surface of the curd. y i

It has been found that the mold grows over and around the fabric during the curing period and that the fabric becomes embedded in the mold pad in such a manner that the removal of the Yfabric effects the removal ofthe mold pad from the surface which is covered by the fabric. (See Fig. 2.)

One preferred form of the porous fabric which can be used particularly in the manufacture of wedge shape portions of Camembert cheese is shown in Fig. l. The fabric employed is preferably gauze of about 2G mesh but other lightweight porous fabrics such as sterile tobacco cloth, netting or the like,.may be used. The fabric is preferably cut into a generally circular disk 5 which is of substantially the same diameter as the diameter hoop in which the. curd isV drained. The fabric disk S is scored along radially extending lines 'I so that the fabric surface vis divided into wedge shape sections 8 which correspond to top areas of the pieces which are to be eventually out from the cheese. For making the fabric ac cessible after it has been embedded in the rind of the cheese` a tab 9 is formed on the 'arcuate edge of each of the sections.

After the curd has` been placed in the hoop, but preferably before all of the whey has been drained therefrom, the'circular diskrof fabric 6 is placed on top of the curd as shown in Fig- 3 (a fragmentary portion of the hoop'is shown in this ligure and is indicated as Ill). The fabric disk 6 is pressed Vinto the `curd surface so that some of the curdrpenetrates the porous weave of the fabric and the fabric issaturated with whey. The draining of the curd is completed andthe curd and embedded' fabric are then removed from the hoop asa unit and the surfaces of the curd, includingY the surface having fabric embedded therein, are inoculated with the Penciilium camemberti culture and salted in the usualmanner. curing conditions the cheese may be cut along'- tlie score `lines 'IV to produce wedge shape portions After a few days of curing under the usual of the type shown in Fig. 2. These portions may then be Wrapped in paper whereupon the curing is completed.

When the cheese is ready for consumption, the tab 9 is pulled upwardly as shown in Fig. 2, to remove the fabric section 8 and the layer of mold il (Fig. 2) which has formed over and around the fabric.

This exposes the soft central portion of the cheese so that it can be readily consumed.

.The piece of cheese shown in Fig. 2 only has one surface provided with a fabric layer for mold removal, but'it willr be apparent that the fabric may be similarly disposed in the mold Which surrounds the other surfaces of the cheese (indicated as IZinFig. 2).

small amountvof Athe soft central portion of the` It has been found that only a cheese adheres tothe fabric and this adhering material may be readily scraped from the fabric without danger of incorporating mold into the cheese.

, In the manufacturing of process or pasteurized Camembert cheese only the soft interior portions of the'chees'e is cooked andpackaged. When the cheese is made for processingt is unnecessary to employ a scored disk 6, but instead the disk may be made from a solid pieceY of fabric such as the piece I3 illustrated in Fig. 4. This fabric,

Vafter curing, may be readilyremoved to expose the entire interior section of a lmuch larger piece of cheese. Of course, if the cheese is made in a shape other than the traditional round shape, thefabric would be pr'operlyfproportioned to correspond to the shape of the cheese.

Although the procedure which has been described above relates to the manufacture of Camembert cheese, it should be understood that the invention can be applied to all other-.types of soft, surface cured cheese. Various of the features of the invention'which are believed to be new are set 'forth in the appended claims.

' Iclaim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a soft, surface cured, mold ripened cheese encased in a mold pad and having a soft interior portion and which includes a porous fabric lying at the interface between said mold pad andsaid soft interior por-` tion.

. 2. As an article of manufacture, a soft, surface cured, mold ripened cheese encased in a mold pad and having a soft interior portion and which includes'a porous fabric lying at the interface between 'said mold pad and said soft interior layer and means on said fabric extending out of said mold pad for lifting said fabric from the soft interior portion of saidcheese.

3. As an article of lmanufacture, a soft, surface Y cured cheese having a mold pad which surrounds a soft Vinterior portion and which includes a porous fabric lying at the interface between said mold. pad and said interior portion, said fabric having an integral extended tab which lies exterior of the cheese bodyY for lifting the fabric and mold pad from the soft interior portion.

4. Camembert cheese which has a soft interior portion covered by a mold pad and which includes a porous fabric lying Vat the interface between saidmold pad Yand said soft interior portion.

5. The` process ,ofk making soft, surface cured cheese which includes the step of placing a porous fabric on the surface of the curd prior to the stepofV inoculating the surface of the curd with the curing organism; and curing the cheese with thei'porous fabric in continuous contact with the curd during curing whereupon a mold pad de.

velops on'the porous fabric so that in the re-` sultant cheese the fabric: lies at therinterface between the mold pad and the soft interior portion of the cheese.

6. The process of making soft, surface cured cheese which includes the steps of placing a porous fabric on the surface of the curd after the curd has been consolidated, retaining the porous fabric in place during curing, and prior to the time that al1 of the whey has been drained from the curd outwardly of the fabric, inoculating the surface of said curd, said inoculation causing mold formation over the surface of the curd and fabric whereby in the resultant cheese body the fabric lies between the mold and the soft interior portion of the cheese.

JOHN H. KRAFT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number OTHER REFERENCES Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 46, February 1907, pages 67, 68, 69,70, 71 and 72.

U. S. Dept. of Agriculture Dept. Bulletin No 1171, pub. by Superintendent of Documents, Govt. Printing Office, Wash., D. C., Aug. 30, 1923, pages 10, 11, 14, 15, 20, 2l, 23 and 24. 

1. AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, A SOFT, SURFACE CURED, MOLD RIPENED CHEESE ENCASED IN A MOLD PAD AND HAVING A SOFT INTERIOR PORTION AND WHICH INCLUDES A POROUS FABRIC LYING AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN SAID MOLD PAD AND SAID SOFT INTERIOR PORTION. 